


I Will Not Ask (And Neither Should You)

by O_Drakon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Brief canon-typical violence, Canon Era, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, the POV is all over the place I'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/O_Drakon/pseuds/O_Drakon
Summary: *In a town crier voice:* Get your softly yearning pre-slash here.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	I Will Not Ask (And Neither Should You)

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic on here. Unbeta'd. Started as a Merthur Week 2020 prompt, but A) I don't feel it really fits anymore, so I'm posting it as a standalone fic c: and B) life is kicking my ass; there's no way I could complete all the prompts. 
> 
> Title is from "Like Real People Do", by Hozier, because I wanted my first fic to be titled with a gratuitous use of Hozer lyrics, with a bracketed section.
> 
> I hope you enjoy~

Well. The hunting trip is a off to a _great_ start. Fucking _bandits_. There were only a few, and they'd beat them, of course, but they'd not come away entirely unscathed. Arthur stands, panting, as he pulls his sword out of the last unmoving bandit with a horrible wet sound. He goes to flick the blood off the blade, then hisses in pain. He seems to process that the short fight is over, then whirls around. Sees he's alone. "Merlin!" He calls, tension in every line of his body. "Merlin, where the _hell_ are you?"

Merlin pops his head out from behind a tree.

"Ah, Merlin! There you are. I see you've deigned to join me - _after_ I've done all the hard work." Arthur says, drily. "What were you doing, exactly?" He sounds annoyed, his voice sharp, but Merlin sees how Arthur immediately relaxed at the sight of him. He avoids the question, though, because he's pretty sure that, "Well, Arthur, I was hiding behind a tree and tripping bandits up with my magic so they couldn't kill you" wouldn't go down _overly_ well as a response.

"You okay, Arthur?" Merlin stands up, wincing. He can feel that bruises are already beginning to blossom across his torso, where the flat of a blade caught him at the start of the ambush, and the heels of his hands are lightly grazed from his sudden dive into the undergrowth. But Arthur's injured his arm, it seems, and he takes priority. (But Arthur takes priority anyway, no matter what. Merlin bets he could be bleeding out, and he'd still try to help Arthur with a parchment cut before tending to his own wounds. Merlin bites his lip against the unhappy thought.)

He walks towards Arthur. "Let me see?" He asks. "I can help. "

Arthur raises his eyebrows, goes to fold his arms in disbelief before glaring at his arm as though it's betrayed him. " _You?_ " he questions flatly.

Merlin takes a calming breath. _You love him_ , he reminds himself. _For some unholy reason. He is_ literally _your destiny. Do_ not _drop a branch on him. Do not drop a branch on your destiny. Just imagine how insufferable Kilgharrah would be if he found out you gave the prince a concussion. Or, worse, you'd have to face the wrath of Gaius. _

"I'm Gaius' apprentice, remember?" He says. "The _Court Physician_? I study under him whenever I'm not -" _saving your arse_ , he thinks. "- serving you?" He says, instead. Merlin rolls his eyes at Arthur's scepticism. "Despite what you think, _my Lord_ , I'm not an idiot. Now let me help you." He waits a moment before adding a soft, sincere, " _Please_."

*

Arthur sits on a log, in a small clearing a few minutes away from where they were ambushed. Merlin sits at his side, closer than is strictly necessary. Arthur is hyperaware of the warmth in the small space between their bodies. He wonders if Merlin is, too.

Merlin carefully wipes the blood from Arthur's arm with a length of still-damp boiled linen. He stops, and peers critically at the injury. The gash is along half the length of Arthur's outer forearm, and it's long and narrow, already beading blood despite having just been cleaned. It's shallow, though, and with care it should heal well. 

"It's not as bad as it looked," Merlin declares, relief a warmth blooming in his chest. "It'll scar, but you'll be alright as long as you avoid infection." Arthur nods.

"Thank you." Merlin smiles in response, eyes crinkling at the corners. "And I... apologise. For dismissing your knowledge. Earlier." At this, Merlin grins, and the tips of his ears flush pink.

Merlin abruptly bends down and reaches for the pack at his feet, rummaging through it to find the pouch of various medicinal herbs, bandages, and other tools of healing. "I'll put some yarrow on it first, that'll help stop the bleeding, and then -"

Arthur absently tunes him out. He reaches up with his uninjured arm, gently snags a curl of Merlin's hair, just behind his ear. _Soft_ , he thinks. _It's so soft_. He wants to bury his fingers in Merlin's hair, wants to -

Merlin jolts up, staring at him, wide-eyed and silent. Sidelit by the campfire and the afternoon light of the sun, he looks so beautiful that Arthur's heart _aches_.

Arthur's face closes off, and he draws his hand quickly away. "You had a leaf in your hair." By the tone of his voice, it's an order as serious as any given on a battlefield.

Merlin chooses to ignore the fact that Arthur's hand is empty of any leaves. His gaze darts to Arthur's lips, then he swallows, averting his eyes. Arthur watches the movement of his throat and prays that Merlin doesn't notice. "Yes, my Lord." He says, quietly.

*

It's dark now, the stars scattered across the sky, the moon's glow casting an ethereal light on everything in sight. A different clearing, a different campfire. Somewhere nearby, a night-bird screeches. Arthur, lying on his side, finds himself dreaming of a different life. At his back, Merlin dreams of a different life, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and/or comment if you liked this? :3


End file.
